Owaisi's arrest: Shutdown in Hyderabad, parts of AP

Hyderabad, Jan 22: The arrest of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi in a seven-year-old case saw a complete shutdown here as well as in some other parts of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

Shops, business houses and educational institutes remained shut in the old city and other Muslim-dominated areas in the state capital. The government road transport corporation suspended most of its bus services while auto-rickshaws also remained off the roads. The usually buzzing area around the Charminar remained deserted. Police and paramilitary personnel were deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

Parts of Hyderabad and many towns in Telangana also observed a shutdown on Monday after Asaduddin Owaisi was sent to jail for two weeks by a Sangareddy court in Medak district. Owaisi and many other MIM leaders were booked in 2005 for hampering the work of officials to demolish a place of worship for civic work. A non-bailable warrant was also pending against Owaisi.

Some incidents of violence were also reported from various parts of Hyderabad on Monday. A road transport corporation bus was attacked in Bahadurpura in the old city on Monday night and the bus driver was injured. The assailants also tried to set the vehicle ablaze.

The police has banned assembly of five or more people in old Hyderabad, Sangareddy and other areas as a precautionary measure.

MIM leader Ahmed Pasha Quadri said the party did not call for a shutdown but it was the people who voluntarily kept their shops and business houses closed to show solidarity with Owaisi.

The administration was also keeping a close watch on the security at Nirmal town in Adilabad district, where Asaduddin's younger brother Akbaruddin will be produced in court in relation to a recent hate speech case. Akbaruddin's 14-day judicial custody is ending on Tuesday.

A metropolitan magistrate court in Cyberabad directed Vanasthalipuram police to investigate a complaint against Akbaruddin Owaisi for allegedly delivering the hate speeches against the majority community. Based on a private complaint made by one Prabhakar, the court directed the police to investigate the matter against Owaisi.

Court asks police to probe complaint against MIM MLA Quadri

Meanwhile, a local court on Monday directed police to investigate a complaint against Quadri for allegedly making objectionable remarks about Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the state Assembly premises. A complaint against Quadri was filed by one M P Bhargav in the Metropolitan Magistrate court in Cyberabad. The court asked the L B Nagar police to investigate the complaint and file a status report on February 8.

The complainant accused the Charminar legislator of making "objectionable" remarks at Jagtiyal in Karimnagar district recently, which he said were "offensive and hurting the sentiments of Indians". Bhargav sought registration of a case by police under relevant sections of IPC against the legislator. Karimnagar II Town police have already booked a case against Quadri in connection with the remarks.